Blood on Our Hands
by Silver1
Summary: Cody reflects on why he wasn't willing to kill Arukenimon when he and the others had the chance.


Blood on our Hands

by Silver

*Not-too-Standard Disclaimer: What? You want to buy the rights to Digimon? Well, why are you talking to me? I don't own the show! But if you want to give me money I'll gladly take it.*

Author's Note: I'm taking a good deal of free time between "Unheard Voices" and "Caring Hearts." I've been getting some really good suggestions, and I want to mull them over. In the meantime, I thought I'd address a recent topic brought up in the Digimon fan community. It deals with how Cody and the other kids don't want to kill Digimon, whereas Tai and his gang seemed to do it fairly regularly. This is from Cody's POV (something I've never done before). 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I keep replaying the scene over and over again in my mind. We had Arukenimon trapped and beaten. She was no match for Paildramon, and we had weakened her to the point where she couldn't even fight back. And then I said that we should lock her away where she couldn't harm anyone. But then Mummymon showed up, blasted Paildramon, and escaped with Arukenimon. We'd missed our chance to stop her.

I keep asking myself what other people might have done in my situation. You've defeated your enemy, she shows no signs of surrender or repentance, and she's a threat to the entire world. I know what the logical thing to do would be: kill her. Remove the threat. Kill or be killed. But it's not that simple!

We Digidestined understand something that the Digimon Emperor didn't: that Digimon are living creatures, even the bad ones. What gives us the right to decide who lives and who dies? If we kill a Digimon, aren't we just as bad as they are? My father died in the line of duty as a policeman, but I don't want to kill the people who took him away from me. My Grandfather says that every time you take a life, you lose a part of yourself. I don't want to give up who I am for someone like Arukenimon. It's just not worth it.

I asked Izzy and Joe about their time in the Digital World. After all, they must have gone through similar experiences. It turns out that, early on, Izzy and Joe and the others didn't have to kill a single Digimon before Devimon. Their Digimon either incapacitated a Digimon, or destroyed a black gear. There was no death involved. And even after the defeat of Devimon, the older kids didn't kill any other Digimon until Tyranomon. None of the older kids killed a Digimon unless they were left with absolutely no choice. 

Our situation, however, is much different. We know more about the Digital World than the older kids did when they were lost there, and we know that we've been chosen to be its guardians. We aren't trapped in the Digital World struggling day-to-day like the older kids were, we have more control. That means we have to use that control wisely. If there's even a small chance that we can make Arukenimon reform through a punishment, then I think we should take it. It worked with a Digimon named Ogremon, didn't it? At least, that's what Izzy tells me. 

I think my relationship with Upamon has effected how I view this situation. To me, Upamon isn't just a Digimon that helps me fight and stay alive, he's more a part of my family. He plays with me, practices with my kendo sticks, and I have fun sneaking food to him from the table. In truth, I spend more time with him in our world than I do with Armadillomon in the Digital World. I know that Upamon and Armadillomon are one in the same, but that's how I view things. Upamon is a Digimon, and even though Arukenimon is evil, she's still a Digimon too. How can I kill one Digimon without a second thought and then play with another Digimon in my home? That's hypocritical. 

We didn't even think about killing Ken when he was the Digimon Emperor. We knew it was wrong to kill another human being, so isn't the same true for Digimon? We can't discriminate between humans and Digimon because all of us have the same right to life as others. I'm not willing to take a human life, so I shouldn't be willing to take a Digimon's life either. 

I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but that's because they haven't been in my situation. It's one thing to give an opinion as an outside observer, but it's different when you're the person who has to make the call. Logic sometimes fails in the face of real life. I worry that if we stop respecting the lives of Digimon, then we'll just become more and more violent in our actions. With each death, we soil our hands with Digital blood. One day, we might wake up, and realize that we cannot wash that blood from our hands. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: Well, there you have it. Short, I know, but sometimes you only need a few lines to say things. A lot of people dislike how Cody and the others are unwilling to kill Digimon but I think I understand where he's coming from. As TV fans, we don't mind seeing fictional characters kick the bucket (as long as they're not main characters) but it would be different if it was real life. I know Digimon isn't real life, but I do think that how we interpret television has a small influence on our "world view." I know that sounds crazy, but I think it's plausible. 

Anyway, I'd like to offer a small preview of things to come. I'm going to take a break from the Crystal Digimon Saga and write some more fics about how the Digidestined's mothers view their children. I've already done this for the 02 kids, so now I'm going to do the 01 characters. Keep your eyes peeled, because ff.net is a little crazy with his whole chaptering switch. My fics get knocked down the list pretty quick. 


End file.
